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ARGENTINA | 24-02-2020 16:21

Suspects detained in Puerto Deseado murder case

Two suspects, one underage minor and another who suffers from schizophrenia, have been identified as investigators probe sexual assault of 45-year-old woman and murder of her son.

The main suspect in the shocking murder of a four-year-old boy and the sexual assault of his mother in Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz Province, was interrogated by police Monday.

On Tuesday, a second individual, identified only as a 16-year-old teenager by officials, confessed to having participated in the crime, according to local news reports. He claimed he was forced to join the attack by the main suspect.

María Mercedes, 45, and her son were attacked last Thursday by two men while walking near the beach in Puerto Deseado. One of the men sexually abused the woman, while the other killed the boy and threw him from a cliff. 

The 24-year-old suspect, named as Omar Alvarado, suffers from schizophrenia, according to local reports. He was identified by the victim in a police line-up.

On Monday, the judge in charge of the case, Oldemar Villa, said that suspect's psychiatric condition did not mean he was immune from prosecution.

Alvarado, who was apprehended on Friday along with other individuals from a local settlement known as 'La Favela,' was initially released due to a lack of incriminating evidence. However, after knowledge surfaced that he had been detained until about a month ago for trying to allegedly kill a nephew — it was the child's mother who alerted the authorities — the suspect was again taken into custody.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect was found in bloody clothes which were confiscated in order to be assessed. He also had facial injuries, Noticias Argentinas reported.

The victim of the brutal crime — which took place Thursday afternoon — informed authorities that she heard one of the perpetrators saying during the attack that he did not want to go back to prison.

The attack, which occurred on a beach close to the Santa Cruz town of Puerto Deseado, began with two men throwing stones at a mother and her four-year old son. One of the men then sexually abused the woman against her will while threatening her child. 

In Puerto Deseado, at least two marches demanding justice for the victims have already taken place.

– TIMES/NA

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